The International Experience Canada (‘IEC’) Program ~ The opening of the 2019 season was recently announced. The International Experience Canada program is a country based reciprocity program that allows young people (aged 18 to 35) to work in Canada for up to two years. Click here to find out if the pool to apply is open for your country.
Permanent Residence Sponsorship for Parents & Grandparents ~ In August 2018, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that it will accept 20,000 sponsorship of parents and grandparents’ applications in 2019. This is up from 17,000 in 2018.
This program will be available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents who meet the eligibility requirements and wish to sponsor their parents or grandparents. Eligibility requirements include: demonstrating that certain minimum income requirements are met and evidencing that the sponsor can financially support their dependents and the applicant(s). Applicants being sponsored must also meet immigration requirements.
The sponsorship program will no longer use a lottery system to select applicants. Instead, applicants will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis starting with the submission of an on-line “Interest to Sponsor” form which lets IRCC know that the individual wishes to sponsor his or her parents or grandparents to come to Canada. While a date has not yet been announced, we expect the program to reopen in January 2019!
This update has been compiled with the latest available information for the general information of Border Law clients and other interested parties. This Update is not comprehensive and should not be relied upon without appropriate legal advice.
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